With the XXIII Olympic Winter Games starting and a record-breaking 102 gold medals up for grabs this year, it got us thinking about medals…and metals in general. With so many uses from giving them as awards for super athletes, to using them in currency, trade markets, and more recently, electronics, it seems like the demand for precious metals isn’t going anywhere, but the supply is limited, even if the U.S. Geological Survey estimates there are 52,000 tons of minable gold still in the ground.

Especially as more and more gold is moving from the traditional jewelry and currency markets to the technology and electronics industries, less of it is being recycled and reused due to the tiny amounts often found in electronics that make it very difficult to extract and recycle.